Missing hedgehog sparks outrage in local community

The chainsaw art hedgehog stolen from the Groundwork depot in Oldham. Image courtesy of Sam Al-Hamdani

A councillor in Oldham has expressed outrage after a carved wooden hedgehog was allegedly ‘stolen’ from a Groundwork depot.

The chainsaw statue was due to be installed as part of a nature trail in Lees. 

But the hedgehog, carved by a local artist, was discovered missing by depot staff after an extensive search and has been presumed stolen. 

The Saddleworth and Lees representative said: “This is the second time that we have been hit by this – [another bear statue] was damaged by vandals shortly after it was installed, and has had to be repaired. 

“There is so much going on in our area to make our villages a real community, and it is incredibly sad when such selfish behaviour damages it.

"We just want people to contribute to the lovely villages and see a bit less of the anti-social behaviour that’s undermining them.”

Coun Al-Hamdani has been working with council officers and the Groundwork team to get an initiative up and running, which has seen several wooden artworks installed in local parks over the past few years.

The hedgehog would have been added to the Medlock Valley, alongside an acorn statue, making an art trail that also includes statues at the linear park in Clarksfield. 

The Council’s parks team have agreed to fund a replacement hedgehog out of a grant that they have been using for the improvements, and will soon have a timeline for the new statues to be installed. 

A spokesperson for Groundwork said: “We are really upset about the theft of the hedgehog.”

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